1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to beverage dispensing equipment and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a postmix beverage dispensing nozzle for mixing viscous beverage syrups with a mixing fluid such as water before dispensing. For the purposes of disclosure and to aid in the understanding of the postmix beverage dispensing nozzle, it will be described in an environment suitable for the dispensing of tea made from a viscous tea syrup mixed with water. However, the postmix beverage dispensing nozzle may be utilized to dispense any beverage such as orange juice created from a highly viscous syrup or frozen concentrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to the immense popularity of iced tea, a majority of food and drink service establishments serve it in either a sweetened or unsweetened form. It is generally produced by mixing a powdered tea concentrate with water in a gravity flow dispenser. The hand making of the tea is both time consuming as well as less than completely sanitary. Accordingly, food and drink service establishments desire beverage dispensing equipment which is capable of dispensing tea produced from a tea syrup mixed with water at a postmix dispensing valve.
Tea syrup is extremely viscous, particularly when mixed with sugar for sweetened tea. Consequently, standard postmix dispensing valves are incapable of thoroughly mixing the viscous tea syrup with water to produce a tea drink having the proper mix ratio.
Thus, the postmix beverage dispensing nozzle of the present invention has been designed to vigorously mix viscous syrups with a mixing fluid, typically water, to form a dispensed beverage having the proper mix ratio.